Blue Blouse

The Blue Blouse (Russian: Синяя блуза, romanized: Sinyaya Bluza) was an influential agitprop theatre collective in the early Soviet Union.

[2] Their example encouraged similar workers' theatre companies across the country and worldwide; by 1927 there were more than 5,000 Blue Blouse troupes in the Soviet Union with more than 100,000 members.

The rehearsal process was extremely rigorous, requiring actors to stay physically and mentally alert through a strict exercise program and by keeping up with the political topics of the day.

The year 1927 marked the end of the Blue Blouse organisation, when it was forced to merge with the more orthodox Workers' Youth Theatre (TRAM).

[2] Blue Blouse theatre combined many stylistic elements and art forms and imbued them with socio-political meaning with the intent of reaching the Soviet people.

Blue Blouse became one of the most popular because of its dynamic performances that were able to use entertainment and comedy to connect with the people on a personal level about daily life and news.

Each performance, though enjoyable, had a political message, which expressed the opinions of the Soviet regime to the common people, targeting the working class.

The clothing was often embellished with props to distinguish the role of the performer, a capitalist often being defined by a top hat or a bureaucrat by a red pencil.

Blue Blouse continued with the tradition of living newspaper, which involved presenting the important news stories of the day to the people.

[11] The people were familiar with folk theatre so aspects were intertwined with Blue Blouse, such as a "rupor" whose role was to present the scene and tie skits together.

The history behind Blue Blouse serves as an explanation for how the theatre group emerged as a means of political propaganda in the Soviet Union.

[13] Funds were still tight but the Soviet regime saw the benefit of beginning a cultural campaign to turn the populace to the communist way of life.

By the summer of 1924 all living newspapers gained backing as a "method of agitation and propaganda serving the political, productive, and domestic tasks of the proletariat.

The NEP was currently underway as Blue Blouse prospered, making it a very pertinent topic, especially since it involved restricted capitalism and the revolution was against this.